Overton Voting On Resolution Opposing Federal Vaccine Mandates

Overton County will vote on a resolution Monday, urging Tennessee’s elected leaders to oppose federally proposed vaccine mandates.

County Executive Ben Danner said he is vaccinated and does not oppose anyone getting the COVID vaccine. However, Danner said that for county government, the only thing he wants to mandate people to do is pay their property taxes.

“The government is involved maybe too much in people’s lives sometimes,” Danner said. “And I don’t want to be in the spot of telling people they have to get a vaccination to keep their job or tell them they have to wear a mask to come in somewhere.”

Danner said that based on conversations with commissioners, he anticipates the resolution will pass on Monday night. Danner said that he knows COVID is still in the community but does not feel that mandating a vaccine is the right way to handle the pandemic in Overton County.

“By no means do I oppose the vaccine itself, I myself got vaccinated,” Danner said. “But I do oppose making people get vaccinated. I think that’s everyone’s own choice and should be their own free will if they want to get vaccinated or not. I don’t want the county to have to be in a spot where we have to make our employees and people here get vaccinated.”

Danner said that he has the same stance on vaccine mandates as he took on mask mandates. He said the county asked people to wear masks, but did not mandate them because he does not feel that is the county government’s place.